Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 17 Deluxe

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing from Software Toolworks is a revolutionary typing program that spawned many sequels and a host of imitators. 4-color CGA graphics doesn't hamper the game's appeal at all, as it's not only adequate, but surprisingly very pleasant: you see all the keys clearly, and there is are "ghost" hands that track your typing in real-time. The program is user-friendly at its best: you can choose to skip lesson, play a fun typing game (3D racing), or read the vast amount of well-written on-line help and tutorial. Accuracy, speed, and % completion are shown as real-time meters to the left of the screen. You can even use a ticking metronome to time your key presses. With excellent execution, outstanding on-line help, and a plethora of graphs and options to tailor the program to your typing preferences, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is, without question, the best typing tutor ever made, with a design that truly stands the test of time. Perhaps nothing attests to the program's endurance better than the fact that the series is still going strong (it is now a label of Broderbund) even after its original developer The Software Toolworks changed its name to Mindscape and later bought out. Definitely the best keyboard-related product since Dvorak's keyboard. Two thumbs up!

Enhanced user interface is compatible with wide screen laptops and leaves the desktop more accessible even while the program is running. Make your learning even more efficient by customizing lessons to fit your needs. Download lessons to your Palm Pilot for easy portable practice sessions. Jazz up your lessons by importing your own MP3 files to listen to while you practice. Straighten up your keyboarding skills by correcting your posture and physical alignment with ergonomic evaluation videos.

The multimedia-rich Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 17 Deluxe can turn even the most recalcitrant hunt-and-peck artist into a skillful touch typist. But first you'll have to download the behemoth 400MB installer and suffer through the sluggish setup process. Persevere. Once you get it running, Mavis Bacon is memory-intensive but quite fast. The unusual interface depicts a classroom; you click on various objects to select tasks (for instance, a computer to enter the Lesson Area). Mavis Bacon provides not only lessons and drills, but also videos and text advice on proper typing posture. It also allows you to build custom lessons, play special typing games, and check the ergonomics at your workplace. All in all, it's a feature-rich typing tutor with a good-looking interface and lots of useful extras.